Veronica plant named ‘Blue Skywalker’

ABSTRACT

The new and distinct cultivar of ornamental spike speedwell plant,  Veronica  ‘Blue Skywalker’, with tight upright habit and stiff freely-branched branched spikes producing lavender blue flowers over a long period beginning early summer and if cut back hard may repeat in early fall.

Botanical classification: Veronica spicata L.

Variety denomination: ‘Blue Skywalker’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the new and distinct cultivar of spikespeedwell, botanically known as Veronica spicata ‘Blue Skywalker’, andhereinafter referred to as the cultivar ‘Blue Skywalker’ or the “newplant”. The new plant was hybridized in the summer of 2012 by theinventor at a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich., USA, with‘White Wands’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 27,632 as the female parent and anunreleased proprietary hybrid known as K07-32-109 as the male parent.The cross was performed on Jun. 29, 2012 and the individual seedlingthat was ultimately named ‘Blue Skywalker’ was identified by the breedercode 12-37-01 throughout the trial period.

The new plant has been asexually propagated by shoot tip cuttings at thesame nursery in the greenhouses in Zeeland, Mich., since the summer of2014 with subsequent asexually propagated plants found to be identicalto the original selection with all the same traits as the original.seedling.

No plants of Veronica ‘Blue Skywalker’ have been sold or disclosed bythis or any other name, in this country or anywhere in the world, priorto one year from the filing of this application, with the exception ofthat was sold or disclosed within one year of the filing of thisapplication and which was either derived directly or indirectly from theinventor.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PLANT

Veronica spicata ‘Blue Skywalker’ is unique from all other spikespeedwell known to the inventor. Several other cultivars may have somesimilar traits, but this is the only variety known by the inventor tohave the following characteristic combinations that establish the newplant as unique:

-   -   1. Tight upright habit with stiff spikes above dense mats of        foliage.    -   2. Scapes with numerous flowers of distinctly lavender blue        petals.    -   3. Freely branched peduncles with long blooming season.

The closest comparison varieties to the new plant are ‘Sunny BorderBlue’ (not patented), ‘Goodness Grows’ (not patented), ‘Atomic Violet’U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,780 and ‘Atomic Blue’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,840.The new plant is more upright and has taller spikes than all of theabove spike speedwell. The flower color of the new plant is morelavender blue than each of the above. Compared with the female parentthe new plant has lavender blue flowers and not white as in ‘WhiteWands’ and the new plant is more upright and taller. Compared with themale parent the new plant has flowers that are more lavender-blue.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photograph of the new plant demonstrates the overall appearance andunique traits of ‘Blue Skywalker’ as a two-year-old plant grown in afull-sun trial garden in Zeeland, Mich. The colors are as accurate asreasonably possible with color reproductions. Variation in ambient lightspectrum, source and direction may cause the appearance of minorvariation in color.

FIG. 1 shows the habit of two new plants in full flower.

FIG. 2 shows a close-up of the flowers and buds.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following descriptions and color references of Veronica ‘BlueSkywalker’ are based on the 2001 edition of The Royal HorticulturalSociety Colour Chart except where common dictionary terms are used.Veronica ‘Blue Skywalker’ has not been observed under all possibleenvironments. The phenotype may vary slightly with different growingenvironments such as temperature, light, fertility, soil pH, moistureand maturity levels, but without any change in the genotype. Thefollowing observations and size descriptions are based on two-year oldplants in the full sun trial garden of a nursery in Zeeland, Mich. withsupplemental fertilizer and water as needed.

-   Botanical classification: Veronica spicata;-   Parentage: Female (seed parent) Veronica ‘White Wands’; male (pollen    parent) breeder code K07-32-109;-   Plant habit: Hardy herbaceous perennial, with average 40 branched    stems, main stems blooming to about 70.0 cm tall and clumping to    about 94 cm across; flowering beginning late June in Michigan and    continuing for about 6 weeks with occasional repeat if deadheaded;-   Leaves: Simple, flat, elliptic to lanceolate; opposite; serrated    margin with about 3 teeth per one centimeter; glabrous below and    above, acute apex, attenuate base; about 8.5 cm long by 1.8 cm wide    decreasing in both length and width distally;-   Leaf color: Mature leaves adaxial between RHS 137A than RHS 139A;    abaxial nearest RHS 137C; young expanding leaves nearest RHS 144A    above and below;-   Veins: Reticulate, abaxial puberulent and glabrate to glabrous    adaxial; abaxial midrib costate; about 1.0 mm across at abaxial base    and about 0.5 mm at adaxial base;-   Vein color: Adaxial midrib nearest RHS 147D and secondary veins    between RHS 137A and RHS 139A; abaxial midrib nearest RHS 147D with    secondary veins nearest RHS 137A;-   Petiole: Simple, slightly concaved upward on edges, margin minutely    ciliate; about 1.5 cm long and 4.0 mm wide length shorter and    narrower on distal leaves;-   Petiole color: Adaxial base nearest RHS 144D, distally between RHS    137A and RHS 139A; abaxial nearest RNS 144D;-   Buds one to two days prior to opening: Convolute, narrowly oblong,    obtuse apex; about 5.5 mm long and 2.5 mm diameter;-   Bud color: Nearest RHS 90B throughout;-   Flowers: On heavily branched upright spikes in compressed    conglomerate; numerous; zygomorphic; campanulate; approximately 420    per main spike; about 8.0 mm long and about 7.0 mm across; flowers    persist individually for 4 to 6 days whether on the plant or cut;    petals self-cleaning, sepals and style persistent;-   Flower timing: Early to mid-summer and repeating if deadheaded into    early fall;-   Flower fragrance: None detected;-   Petals: Four; one larger petal above and three slightly smaller    below and to either side; simple, entire, fused in basal 2.5 mm;    glabrous abaxial and pubescent with 1.0 mm long hairs in tuft band    about 1.0 to 2.0 mm from adaxial base; upper larger petal with    rounded apex, about 5.5 mm long by 2.0 mm wide; side and lower    petals with acute apex, about 5.5 mm long and 1.5 mm wide;-   Petal color: Abaxial nearest RHS 90C and adaxial nearest RHS 90C    with hairs inside tube white, whiter than RHS 155D;-   Androecium:    -   -   Filaments.—Two; divergent; glabrous; epipetalous about 1.0            mm from base; about 5.5 mm long by about 0.25 mm diameter;            color nearest RHS 83A.        -   Anther.—Dorsifixed, longitudinal; elliptic with acute apex            and rounded base; about 1.5 mm by 1.0 mm; color nearest RHS            83C.        -   Pollen.—Abundant, globose, less than 0.1 mm; nearest RHS 8C.-   Gynoecium: Single, superior; persists after petal drop;    -   -   Style.—Straight; attitude mostly outwardly; about 7.0 mm            long and 0.25 mm diameter; color nearest RHS 83A.        -   Stigma.—Globose; finely puberulent; about 0.3 mm in            diameter; color RHS N92A.        -   Ovary.—Spherical to slightly elliptic; about 1.0 mm long and            0.8 mm in diameter; color nearest RHS 145B.-   Sepals: Four, surface dull, ovate to narrowly ovate, acute apex,    base fused forming campanulate calyx, puberulent margin; adaxial    glabrous; abaxial nearly microscopically puberulent; about 3.0 mm    long and 1.0 mm across;-   Sepal color: Abaxial and adaxial between RHS 138A and RHS N138B;-   Peduncle: Strong, erect, branched at nodes; terete; puberulent;    about 50 cm long and 2.5 mm in diameter at the base; terminal    flowering section of the main stem 12 to 18 cm long frequently split    in two branches; attitude upwardly to slightly outwardly very late    in flowering season; freely branching at distal nodes; about 7 to 8    nodes before flowers; average internode length about 3.0 cm;-   Peduncle color: Between RHS 146A and RHS 137C;-   Pedicel: Rigid, about 1.0 mm long and 0.3 mm wide, finely    puberulent; attitude mostly outwardly;-   Pedicel color: Between RHS N138B and RHS 138A;-   Bract: One, subtending each flower, linear, acute apex, mostly    entire, sessile, based fused to peduncle, proximal bracts about 6.5    cm long and 1.0 mm wide;-   Bract color: Adaxial between RHS 137A and RHS 139A, and abaxial    between RHS 137C and RHS 138A;-   Fruit: Ellipsoid, about 3.0 mm long and 2.5 mm across; color between    RHS 166A and RHS 166B;-   Propagation: The plant roots from cuttings in about 2 weeks and    finishes to flowering in a 3.8 liter container in 8 to 10 weeks    following a vernalization period of about 8 weeks;-   Hardiness, pest and disease resistance: The plant grows best with    plenty of moisture and adequate drainage, but is able to tolerate    some drought when mature. Hardiness at least from USDA zone 4    through 9. Disease and pest resistance beyond what is typical of    that of other spike speedwell has not been observed.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of ornamental spikespeedwell plant, Veronica ‘Blue Skywalker’, as herein described andillustrated.